Picking Up the Pieces
by TheBlindMusician
Summary: Full summary inside. Summary: Vasilisa Dragomir has another sister, who is blind, and was placed into isolation to "protect" her by Queen Tatiana, when she was seven, after her mother was killed by Strigoi. Dimitri is assigned as her new guardian and is asked to remove her from that place ten years later, when Tatiana explains everything to Lissa in a note. ...


A/N: Hi all! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think so I know whether or not I should continue to post for this story. I got this idea by asking myself the usual question: "What if?" Enjoy!

Summary: Vasilisa Dragomir has another sister, who is blind, and was placed into isolation by Queen Tatiana, when she was seven, after her mother was killed by Strigoi. Dimitri is assigned as her new guardian and is asked to remove her from that place, ten years later, when Tatiana explains everything to Lissa in a note. What will happen when they find out she has not specialized? Is she another Spirit user, or has the isolation completely rid her of her magic?

…

Chapter One

Dimitri Belikov strode up to Headmistress Kirova's office, wondering what the woman could possibly want from him. He knocked and was told to enter.

"Guardian Belikov," Kirova greeted, as he opened the door and stepped inside. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

Dimitri looked around the room and spotted Moroi princess, Vasilisa (Lissa) Dragomir and her dhampir guardian, Rosemarie (Rose) Hathaway, both former students of St. Vladimir's Academy. Standing by the desk was the Captain of St. Vladimir's guardians, Alberta Petrov. Lissa looked agitated. Rose looked like she wanted to punch someone. Alberta looked grave. Kirova, annoyed.

"What is this all about?" Dimitri asked, taking position with his back against the wall and arms folded across his chest.

"Have a seat," Kirova said, gesturing to an empty chair.

Dimitri didn't budge.

"Suit yourself," she said. "Well, Lissa, you have the floor. This is your story."

Lissa straightened and cleared her throat with a sigh. "As you know, Queen Tatiana is ill. Yesterday, she sent me a note that was… deplorable to say the least."

"Absolutely disgusting," Rose spat. "That foul, callous bitch."

Lissa nodded, which shocked Dimitri. Lissa would never go for Rose calling anyone such names. Clearly, this was very bad.

Lissa reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, holding it out to Dimitri. He moved forward and took it, looking down to read.

Vasilisa,

I hope this note finds you well. I do wish I could give you this information a different way, but alas, that is not possible at the present time. As it is, this took a while for me to write. There is no easy way to say this, so I will start from the beginning.

Several years ago, eighteen to be exact, your father had an affair with a Moroi woman, Diana Prince. She fell pregnant, but did not tell him, as she was concerned his name would be tarnished if people found out he had cheated on your mother. Diana gave birth to a baby girl and named her Isabelle. She raised Isabelle as a single mother, sending her to school to be with other Moroi. However, there was a problem; Isabelle was blind.

Many were uncertain about having a blind Moroi in their midst. This was during a time when blindness was looked down upon, more so than it is today. Still, Isabelle was sent to school but was teased relentlessly by her peers, forcing Diana to withdraw her and start teaching her herself, which was not easy.

One night, there was a Strigoi attack that killed Diana and her guardian, which left Isabelle as the sole survivor at age seven. She was injured, and thus, was taken to the hospital, where I came to visit her.

I ordered an Earth user I knew to place a Memory Charm on a necklace, which I then gifted to Isabelle when I visited. This necklace had been further charmed so that she could not remove it. I did not want her to remember that night, so figured it would be best if she forgot it altogether. She didn't need a reminder of what had happened to her mother. In fact, I needed her to forget her earlier years, in order for what I had planned to work.

I had set up a place where she would live alone—an apartment in the depths of West Virginia. I appointed a guardian, Pete, Hemingway, to watch the house at all times, protecting her. The place was well warded, but I needed to be sure Isabelle would have someone there to deliver things to her. And, as you know, wards can be broken. I had to use compulsion on Pete, however, since he didn't seem too eager to take on the task. I compelled him further, forbidding him from speaking to Isabelle unless she needed something.

She was given everything she could ever want—a laptop, Braille books, books on CD'S, musical instruments, cooking materials for the blind, bags of blood that were kept in the fridge, and so much more! Twice a year, until she was twelve, I visited for a few minutes, not saying much, to bring her gifts for Christmas as well as her birthday on June 2nd. I also taught her basic life skills, such as how to cook, (should she desire human food), clean, and show her the basics on using whatever I brought her. I made sure her manuals were in Braille, so that she could read them. I gave her materials so that she could have as much of an education as possible. However, once she turned twelve, I sent things instead. She was getting bolder and bolder in asking questions, and I couldn't deal with it.

I am sure you are wondering why I did what I did. You see, Vasilisa, I thought it was the best for her. She would be safer where she was. No one would tease or harass her. Not to mention, the world was not kind to the disabled. It was for her own good that I did this. Hopefully you can understand that one day.

As you are her half-sister, I am entrusting you with this information, as I have since realized how horribly wrong I was to do such a thing to a child. Her guardian is due to retire any day now, and I am leaving it up to you to decide what happens next. I hope that, in your care, Isabelle can learn to thrive and become the best she can be.

Kindest regards,

Tatiana

Dimitri carefully folded the paper, taking his time to be sure it looked pristine as he looked down, trying to keep from exploding. Not usually one to be overpowered by emotion, he felt pure rage course through him. How could someone do such a thing to a child! To a blind child at that!

Handing the note back to Lissa, he looked up, his jaw clenched. "Why have you brought me here?" he asked.

Lissa sighed. "I'm worried about her, Guardian Belikov. Really worried. I can't imagine what she's been through. How she must feel. I want her out of there."

"As do I," Dimitri said. "However, I don't see what this has to do with me."

"Tatiana mentioned her guardian is retiring," Alberta said, drawing Dimitri's gaze. "We would like you to become her new guardian."

"Why me, specifically?"

"You are the best this world has to offer," Kirova said. "After the hell Isabelle has been through, the least we can do is give her a damn good guardian to protect her."

Dimitri blinked, surprised that Kirova was swearing this much. She was usually much more composed. Again, he was reminded of the severity of the situation.

"She will not easily accept change," Dimitri said.

Kirova shook her head. "No, I doubt she will. But she will learn. Over time. She needs a life, Dimitri."

"And I want to give that to her," Lissa said, eyes filling with tears. "I know it will take time, but I want her to know that she hasn't been forgotten. That things are different now. That she is free. That what Tatiana did was wrong. Please, Guardian Belikov."

"I told you to call me Dimitri, Vasilisa."

"Fine," Lissa said. "Please, Dimitri? She's my sister. She's royalty. She will be a princess, assuming I am chosen to be the queen once Tatiana passes."

"I have already been reassigned, haven't I?" Dimitri asked Alberta, who nodded. "Then, I will meet with her tomorrow."

"We're coming with you," Rose said.

"No, you are not," Dimitri said, voice firm. "I will bring her to you when she is ready. We cannot force her to accept that she is free to leave that place. Where are you staying?"

"At Adrian Ivashkov's," Lissa said. "You can bring her there. Could you give her this for me, please?" Lissa withdrew a small charm bracelet from her pocket and handed it to Dimitri. "I want her to have something from someone who isn't trying to hide her from the rest of the world."

Dimitri turned the bracelet over in his hands and examined the two charms—a star and a rainbow. He nodded, pocketing the bracelet.

"The plane is scheduled to leave at ten tomorrow morning," Alberta said. "Once you have her, the pilot will take you to the airstrip near the Royal Court."

Dimitri nodded once more.

"I cannot promise that she will immediately leave," he said. "It may take a few days for her to come to terms with the situation. Maybe longer."

"That's fine," Lissa said. "as long as she knows she has the option to leave that hellhole."

Dimitri nodded. "I will alert you when I have her," he said.

"Good luck, Dimitri," Lissa said.

The next morning, Dimitri boarded one of the academy's smaller private jets, and took off for West Virginia. He had gotten Pete Hemingway's information, so knew where he would be going. He stared out of the window, fury from yesterday still in his system.

One would argue that what Tatiana had done was child abuse. Kidnap. Abduction. To be honest, he couldn't agree more. Never in his twenty-six years of life had he heard of something with such depravity. Tatiana may have meant well, according to her, but he would be damned if she didn't pay for what she had done to Isabelle. She was his charge now, and he would be sure she was safe and received the justice she deserved. Lord only knew how the issolation had effected her.

Dimitri wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting to see when he first saw the place. However, what greeted his eyes as he pulled up in the rental car made his blood boil again. The apartment was decent-sized and in the middle of nowhere. Bars lined every window on the outside, and there was a keypad on the front door. Standing by it was Pete Hemingway, looking tired and worn.

"Good evening, Guardian Belikov," he said, stepping forward. "I'm glad you came so quickly. It is a pleasure meeting you, I only wish we were meeting in more pleasant circumstances."

Dimitri nodded. "What the hell did she do?" he asked, gesturing around the area.

Pete sighed and lowered his head. "It's a shame," he said. "A complete shame that I had to be a part of. I only just managed to break through her compulsion a few days ago and told Tatiana I was done. I couldn't leave Isabelle, though, so I stayed until she told me things would be taken care of. When I delivered her blood and groceries to her, I couldn't bring myself to speak with her. I was, and still am, so guilt-ridden. I don't think I will be able to forgive myself for playing a part in this."

"You were forced. You had no choice."

"Still," Pete said. "Look at this," he gestured around. "Bars on the windows, cameras covering all angles of the apartment on the outside so I can monitor the apartment from my place, a keypad on the door… She can't leave unless I unlock the screen door from the outside. There is a lock on the inside door so that she has control over whether or not I come in, or if she wants to let some fresh air in, but if she wants to leave, the screen door needs to be unlocked from the outside."

"Why didn't you unlock it once you broke through the compulsion?"

"Because I was afraid. I didn't know where she would go. She has no one. I know I should have, but I was too worried about what would happen if Tatiana found out. She made me call in, day and night to give her updates, even if it was the same report every day. She wanted to hear it, regardless."

"How did you not go insane?"

"I have a TV," Pete said. "And a computer, food, games, and could go for a walk. I never went far, simply walked around the area, carrying my phone, which had a view of all of the cameras, so I could be sure no one was approaching. … I was able to speak with some of my family over Skype, but could only do audio calls and was compelled to not reveal information. Even though I wasn't able to speak with Isabelle directly, I tried to do whatever I could to help. Once she got her own computer, I snuck in some CDs on Moroi magic, since Tatiana didn't give her anything to educate her."

"Do you know if she specialized?" Dimitri asked.

Pete shook his head. "I have no clue. It's not like she would have much room to practice, would she? Regardless, I gave her books on everything, including Spirit, once I found out that Princess Vasilisa specialized in it. I figured she could at least learn, and maybe specialize in something."

"I'm sure she appreciated that."

"I hope so. It was all I could do."

Dimitri sighed. "Is the door unlocked? I need to speak with her. Tatiana told Vasilisa what she had done and told her it was up to her to decide what happens next. I am here to take her away from this prison and relieve you of your duties."

Pete smiled. "Good," he said. "I will be retiring somewhere with plenty of sun. Take care of her, Guardian Belikov. Give her what I couldn't."

"I will," Dimitri vowed.

Petee nodded and turned to the keypad, entering some numbers and hitting enter. A soft click could be heard from inside. "It's unlocked." He pulled open the screen door and stepped back. "I can't face her. When is your start date?"

"Today."

"Then I am leaving. I hope one day, she will be able to forgive me." Shoulders slumped, Pete walked across the way and into a smaller apartment that faced Isabelle's.

Hesitating for a split second, Dimitri approached the inner door and knocked softly. After a few minutes of no response, he knocked again, more firmly this time.

The door opened slowly to reveal a girl dressed in black jeans and a blue, long-sleeved shirt with flowers on it. She stood about half a foot shorter than he was, maybe around five nine or so. Her hair, which was put up into a long ponytail that fell to her lower back, was a strawberry blonde. She had Lissa's jade green eyes, but otherwise looked like the typical Moroi—tall, pale, slim, and angelically beautiful. Presently, however, she looked slightly annoyed.

"Good evening," Dimitri greeted. "My name is Guardian Dimitri Belikov. I've come to take you away from this place, Isabelle."

Isabelle stared up at him, clearly not seeing him, turned, and slammed and locked the door.


End file.
